Let's enjoy.
Countdown recap for Thursday 5 April 2012.
C1: Champion John Bird (3 wins, 259 points.) A retired teacher from Wolverhampton. He also does amateur dramatics.
C2: Challenger Rob Gibney. An Apterite and business consultant from St. Alban's, Hertfordshire. He lost 11 stone in 2 years, and at his peak, he did weigh 31 stone
He met his wife at a "foam night" in Majorca.DC: Susie Dent and Anneka Rice.
RR: Rachel Riley.
OT: Other words or solutions.
R01: E T I M O Q A E N
R02: U D E B O K C V A
R03: I S A G U T E L R
R04: I S O T N A X M E
R05: 100, 4, 2, 3, 2, 5. Target: 640.
TTT: BAKEDCAT - "Rewind in time to an old girlfriend"
R06: A H O N U T D I E
R07: O P R I E L T O F
R08: E T O P W I N A L
R09: I S O E M P I L S
R10: 25, 9, 4, 10, 7, 5. Target: 460.
TTT: FLATLIPS - "William trips up, beware of the dangers"
R11: A I E O R E S R R
R12: U M V A I W D E A
R13: F O P E N G R C I
R14: 25, 10, 2, 3, 2, 6. Target: 957.
R15: I E X P E L V E T (conundrum)
And now a brief interlude before our main feature:
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Enjoy the show.
Round 1: E T I M O Q A E N
C1: emation
C2: amonite
DC: MATINEE (7) INMATE (6)
OT: AMNIOTE (7) TEMENOI (7)
Score: 0–0 (max 7)
Oh dear, a double negative of the worst kind to start today's show. (And yes, I do know 2 negatives make a positive!) John was probably thinking of ENATION, and Rob needs another M for AMMONITE. But, what's even more shocking is DC missing AMNIOTE after spotting it in round 1 yesterday
Round 2: U D E B O K C V A
C1: BUCKED (6)
C2: BACKED (6)
DC: VODKA (5)
Me: COUVADE (7)
Score: 6–6 (max 14)
Well, that's a bit better by all here, although the darrenic 7 is missed by all, but me.
COUVADE is a practice among some peoples, as the Basques of Spain, in which a man, immediately preceding the birth of his child, takes to his bed in an enactment of the birth experience and subjects himself to various taboos usually associated with pregnancy.
Round 3: I S A G U T E L R
C1: GLISTER (7)
C2: GUSTIER (7)
DC: LIGATURES (18)
Score: 13–13 (max 32)
A bit of a confession to make here........, I actually missed LIGATURES!!!!!!!
Into the dark corner I go......... 
Round 4: I S O T N A X M E
C1: moaniest
C2: MOISTEN (7)
DC: TAXMEN (6)
NH: TISANE (6)
OT: AMNIOTES (8)
Score: 13–20 (max 40)
OH MY GOD!!!!! Now this is just incredible
This is deja vu all over again!!! 
Yesterday, AMNIOTE in round 1, AMNIOTES in round 4.
Today, AMNIOTE missed in round 1, AMNIOTES missed in round 4.
Now it's DC's turn to go into the dark corner, methinks. Round 5: 100, 4, 2, 3, 2, 5. Target: 640.
C1: 639.
C2: 640. (2 x 3 x 100) + (5 x 2 x 4) (10)
Score: 13–30 (max 50)
But not Rob though, as he puts in a good solve to further strengthen his advantage on the champion.
Anneka talks about her job at Radio 2, and how she started as a 17-year-old trainee at the BBC World Service.
Teatime teaser: BAKEDCAT -> BACKDATE
Round 6: A H O N U T D I E
C1: HANDOUT (7)
C2: HAUNTED (7)
OT: HIDEOUT (7)
Score: 20–37 (max 57)
Just the three 7's here.
Round 7: O P R I E L T O F
C1: forelip
C2: PROFILE (7)
DC: POLITER (7) LOOPIER (7)
OT: FORETOP (7) LOFTIER (7) POOFIER (7) POOFTER (7) TREFOIL (7) TROOPIE (7)
Score: 20–44 (max 64)
No forelip here for John, and his chances of staying on as champ are slimming fast.
Round 8: E T O P W I N A L
C1: ELATION (7)
C2: PANTILE (7)
DC: TOWPLANE (8)
Score: 27–51 (max 72)
A very impressive darren spot by DC there.
Round 9: I S O E M P I L S
C1: IMPLIES (7)
C2: MISSILE (7)
DC: SIMILES (7) SIMPLES (7)
OT: IMPOSES (7) LISSOME (7) MEIOSIS (7) SMILIES (7)
Score: 34–58 (max 79)
Flatness reigns supreme in this one.
LISSOME is an adjective meaning agile, nimble, or active.
Susie's Origins Of Words talks about the origins and misconceptions of the phrases, "head over heels", "having one's cake and eating it", "cheap at half the price" and "a matter of life and death".
Round 10: 25, 9, 4, 10, 7, 5. Target: 460.
C1: 460. ((7 - 5) x 9 x 25) + 10 (10)
C2: 460. (9 + 7 + 5 + 25) x 10 (10)
Score: 44–68 (max 89)
2 very different ways, but 10 points are 10 points.
Teatime teaser: FLATLIPS -> PITFALLS
Round 11: A I E O R E S R R
C1: SORRIER (7)
C2: SORRIER (7)
DC: ROARER (6) ROARERS (7)
OT: ORRERIES (8)
Score: 51–75 (max 97)
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, the sound this round would probably make.
An ORRERY is an apparatus for representing the positions, motions, and phases of the planets, satellites, etc., in the solar system.
Round 12: U M V A I W D E A
C1: maiden
C2: WAIVED (6)
DC: MAUVE (5)
Score: 51–81 (max 103)
Just the one 6 in this round, or 2 if like John, you're seeing phantom N's.
Round 13: F O P E N G R C I
C1: PONGIER (7)
C2: PONCIER (7)
DC: CONIFER (7) FORCING (7)
OT: FOREIGN (7) PIROGEN (7) PORCINE (7)
Score: 58–88 (max 110)
And the champion has been dethroned thanks to this flat round.
In Jewish cookery, PIROGEN are small baked pastries filled with chopped chicken livers, onion, etc.
Round 14: 25, 10, 2, 3, 2, 6. Target: 957.
C1: 952.
C2: 960. (((3 x 2 x 6) + 2) x 25) + 10 (7)
OT: 956. ((((10 + 2) x 3) + 2) x 25) + 6 (7)
Score: 58–95 (max 117)
A tricky and impossible numbers game to finish off with today, but Rob's 3 away method has put in shooting range of a century.
Round 15: I E X P E L V E T
C2 buzzes on 1.75 seconds to say EXPLETIVE which is correct.
Final Score: 58–105 (max 127)
And he gets it in double-quick time too.
A very impressive debut by the Apterite, Rob, a century on debut, very sparse this series, unless you're called Jack Worsley or Peter Lee, that is.
John did seem to be a good champion, but I doubt his 3 wins will get him into the finals, as he's already down at #7 on the board.But, can Rob carry on where John left off and win a few more games over the Easter period
Join whoever will be filling in for Thomas tomorrow for their recap.
I'll be back next Wednesday after this weekend's CO:REA, which already sounds like it's going to be a blockbuster of a CO-event, judging on the calibre of the contestants going already.
So, till next week, bye bye.
Statistics Corner
John:
Total score - 58
Raw score - 72
Total % of max - 46
Raw % of max - 57
Total average score per round - 3.9
Raw average score per round - 4.8
Number of maxes - 4
Rob:
Total score - 105
Raw score - 105
Total % of max - 83
Raw % of max - 83
Total average score per round - 7.0
Raw average score per round - 7.0
Number of maxes - 9
Further summaries are at:
http://www.apterous.org/cdb/series.php?series=66